In Their Footsteps: Joseph Migliore

Joe Migliore | West Point Thoroughbreds photo

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Top New York jockey-turned-broadcaster Richard Migliore has sired a promising young horseman in his son, Joe. Currently a sales associate and partner representative for West Point Thoroughbreds, Joe is making his own way to the winner's circle.

A Long Island native, 26-year-old Joe caught the racing bug as a child.

“I think, from a pretty early age, I just fell in love with racing,” he said. “I have memories as early as just a couple years old of being on the backstretch. I really did idolize my father's riding career, and was truly just his biggest fan.”

Joe said he dreamed of following in his dad's footsteps, but his height–he now stands 6'2″–rendered that moot. Still, Richard taught his son a ton about the game and how to conduct himself.

“He's always been very encouraging about me getting into the industry,” Migliore shared. “He's always kind of served as a guide for the right path to take.”

Migliore said he fondly remembers the 2000 Kentucky Derby, in which his dad rode eventual fifth-place finisher Wheelaway.

“Wheelaway actually hit the front turning for home and it was exciting for a brief second before Fusaichi Pegasus ended up running right by him,” he said.

During the summers at Saratoga, a teenage Migliore walked hots for trainers John Kimmel and Mike Hushion. In 2013, Migliore graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in business management. As his next step, Migliore chose to get hands-on experience at the 2014 Irish National Stud breeding course.

“It was a tremendous experience,” Migliore noted. “I really learned a lot from the program there and in particular from a real visionary like [former INS CEO] John Osborne. And I think it really set me up for success over the next couple of years. You work hands-on in all facets of a stud farm, from foaling to stallions to yearlings. It was a great experience. I loved meeting a lot of young, like-minded people there and I think it gave me a strong grounding in some sense of European pedigrees and European bloodstock. I really do have a huge interest in the bloodstock aspect of the game and it just served as the perfect course for me.”

After completing the course at the INS, Migliore worked a full breeding season as a stud hand at Arrowfield Stud in Australia. There, he assisted with superstar stallions Redoute's Choice and Snitzel and did some yearling prep for the Gold Coast sale, which he said was an exercise in learning about bloodstock and discipline.

“A world-class stud farm like Arrowfield was a special place to be able to work,” Migliore reflected. “I had seen that West Point was [running] ads in the TDN and a few other places for an opening as a sales associate and I applied there. I was starting to get a little homesick.”

Familiar with the operation, for whom his father had ridden some horses, Migliore was hired at West Point about two years ago, and he said he's absolutely loving the ride.

“I love my job with West Point right now,” he said. “I love the team of people I'm working with. [West Point president and CEO] Terry Finley has created such an amazing company with a 25-year history of bringing people to the track as racehorse owners for a fraction of the cost.”

As a sales associate, Migliore represents about 100 to 125 out of the group's total approximately 400 to 500 partners.

“For me, I love to be able to promote the game or promote ownership,” the Stamford, Connecticut resident explained. “I've kind of come full circle from my journeys abroad,” he said.

Whether traveling for big races or talking to a trainer, the “guy on the ground” keeps his clients up to date with their horses by sending clients to-the-minute photos, videos, and trainer feedback. When the time is right, he will also present new offerings. Spring is a particularly busy time, as it's 2-year-old syndication season, and Migliore readily admitted that he spends the majority of his day fielding phone calls. He is also involved with the Young Professionals Initiative, which is aimed at bringing in clients ages 40 and younger by offering less expensive options this summer.

This spring has been quite the exciting time for West Point, which owns an interest in Kentucky Derby contender Always Dreaming (Bodemeister).

“I have a partner that I represent who has been going to the Kentucky Derby since 1976,” Migliore said. “He began by just going into the infield with the general public and I was able to sell him a share of Always Dreaming before the Florida Derby.

“That feeling, to me, is the most rewarding part of my job.”

When selling shares, Migliore and West Point place great emphasis on aftercare.

“It is certainly a tool for me that I'm able to use from a selling aspect, where I can point a link on our website that shows over 50 to 60 horses who have found good homes in terms of their post-racing careers,” he said. “Aftercare is a hugely important aspect of our game and we take it very seriously.”

Migliore maintains a close connection with his father and mentor.

“He's not just my father–he's also my closest friend,” Migliore concluded. “While we may not work in the same line of work in jobs, he absolutely knows what's going on in my world and myself in his. We have a very close relationship and we're always talking about racing.”

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